Prefecture City
Pei Zi Yun walked along the street. On both sides of the street, there were restaurants, tea houses, noodle stalls, food stalls, rice shops and even a cloth shop. The cloth shop was about to close for the day.
It was already evening, and there were many people on the street. Amongst them, there were a few young students dressed in green robes strolling around.
Just as they left the pier, the four Elementary Scholars seemed to have been frightened, or perhaps they were already on their way. The moment they disembarked from the boat, they left in a hurry. Pei Zi Yun had wanted to say something, but seeing that they had already left, he did not call out to them.
The street continued to stretch forward. As the sky darkened, many vendors hung lanterns in front of their doors, illuminating the street. Many porters walked past him, carrying loads of goods on their shoulders. With every step they took, the load swayed along with them.
In front of him, an Elementary Scholar was walking out of a shop carrying some goods. Pei Zi Yun walked forward and saw a sign hanging on the door. It was dark at night, and when he got closer, he could see the sign clearly. It read, "Li's Goods Shop."
There were a few oil lamps lit up in the shop, illuminating the interior of the shop. As soon as he entered the shop, the owner of the shop came out to welcome him, "Young master, are you here to buy some fourth-ranked gifts to visit the master? My shop has everything you need, and I guarantee that you will be satisfied. "
Pei Zi Yun walked around the shop and saw that the goods were indeed good. He then took a fruit and ate it. He then nodded his head and waved his hands, "Boss, this is not bad. Give me a gift bag of four boxes and that will do."
He paused before saying, "Give me a gift box with gold threads."
The boss hurriedly acknowledged and instructed his assistant to pack up the gifts. He then personally served Pei Zi Yun tea. Pei Zi Yun had only taken a few sips when the assistant carried the gift box over to him.
After paying the money, Pei Zi Yun asked the boss about the Tribute Courtyard. When he heard that Pei Zi Yun wanted to go there, the boss walked out of the shop and pointed to a tall building in the distance, "Young master, the Tribute Courtyard is there."
Pei Zi Yun raised his head and looked in the direction that the boss was pointing. The night was dark, and he could only see the silhouette of a building. He thanked the boss and walked in that direction. Before long, he saw the Tribute Courtyard.
There were two lanterns hanging on the left and right side of the stairs to the Tribute Courtyard. There was a golden plaque at the front door with two majestic gilded words: "Tribute Courtyard".
At night, the stars were still bright, but the ground was dark. Under the lantern, there were two soldiers armed with swords standing guard. A few Elementary Scholars came closer to take a look, but did not approach.
"It's all about knowing the way."
Pei Zi Yun had no intention of barging in. The Great Xu Dynasty had established a system of rules. The county schools were called academies, the prefectures were called academies, the provinces were called academies, and the central government was called academies.
The academy basically had no guards, only a gatekeeper.
There were guards in the academy, but they were not equipped with swords.
The Provincial Tribute Courtyard was an important place for academics. There were already guards armed with swords. Trespassers would be arrested if they got off lightly, or killed if they got off lightly. No one wanted to break into the Tribute Courtyard.
"But my residence is very close."
"The Mentor gave me a handwritten letter, and instructed me to find a place to stay. It's not far from the Tribute Courtyard, and is very convenient. It must be a good friend of the Mentor." Pei Zi Yun started searching around the Tribute Courtyard.
Indeed, not long after, he saw a mansion. The mansion was neither big nor small. There was a plaque on the door that read "Fu Mansion". On both sides of the door were two rows of couplets. The couplets were not very clear at night, and he could still make out the words written on them.
He walked up and knocked on the door. Before long, he heard the door open. When he got closer, he saw a servant carrying a lantern.
Pei Zi Yun hurriedly explained the purpose of his visit. When the servant heard that he was recommended by an old friend of his master, he looked at the letter and said, "Young Master, please wait a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly went in to report.
Before long, the servant came out and led Pei Zi Yun into a courtyard. They walked along a wooden walkway. The servant led Pei Zi Yun a few steps and said, "Be careful, Young Master. There's a staircase here."
As he said this, he turned around and used the lantern in his hands to illuminate the staircase. A staircase appeared, leading up to the main hall. There were several lamps in the main hall, and there were some orchids and bamboos on the lampshade. There were paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls.
In the middle of the hall sat a middle aged man, about forty years old. He had a beard and was dressed in embroidered robes. He was skinny, and held a scroll in his hands.
The servant whispered, "Young Master, that's High Scholar Fu, Master Fu."
Pei Zi Yun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "Student pays his respects to Master Fu."
He then handed the letter over. The High Scholar put down the book in his hands and received the letter. He then looked at it and said, "So you're a scholar recommended by an old friend. You're welcome. I shall arrange for you to stay here."
He then turned to the servant, "Call the housekeeper over to arrange a place for this young master to stay."
Pei Zi Yun heard an "Ai" sound and looked up. He saw a little girl's face peeking through the curtain on the right side of the hall. She looked to be about eleven or twelve years old, and was very pretty. However, she was still a little girl.
Just as Pei Zi Yun was thinking about this, the little girl looked over and was taken aback. She then shrank back and disappeared behind the curtain.
Behind the curtain, there was a beautiful window, and the air was filled with the fragrance of orchids. A beautiful woman was brewing tea. Seeing the little girl being caught peeking and retreating back, she raised a finger and said, "You mischievous little girl."
The beautiful woman carried the tea out and turned around to see the little girl rubbing her forehead. She then laughed and said, "Don't mess around."
She then carried the tea out.
Just as Pei Zi Yun was speaking to High Scholar Fu, the curtain on the right side of the door opened. A beautiful woman with her hair tied up in a bun walked out with a cup of tea. This woman was very elegant and dignified. As she served the tea, she walked past Pei Zi Yun and glanced at him.
Pei Zi Yun felt his eyelids twitch as he raised his head to look at the woman. She looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was. Just as the woman handed him the tea, a servant came in to report.
"Master, there are four more young masters who have come to visit. This is the invitation card." The servant then handed the invitation card to Master Fu.
Master Fu held the invitation card in his hands and looked at it. He then thought for some time before saying, "Invite these four in."
He then turned around and spoke to the beautiful woman, "Mistress Cloud, please pour another four cups of tea."
"Yes, Master." The beautiful woman carried the tea tray back to the room and prepared the tea. As she entered the room, the little girl from earlier squeezed in and asked, "Mistress, what do you think of this person?"
The beautiful woman then stretched out her hands and knocked the little girl on her head, "Little Xia, don't mess around. I'll tell you when I'm done."
The beautiful woman then continued preparing the tea, and started boiling it. The little girl was holding her head in her hands, her eyes were wide open, and her face was full of grievance.
Pei Zi Yun picked up the cup of tea and noticed that it was slightly hot. He blew on it to dissipate the steam and took a sip. He then felt a refreshing feeling in his heart. He then thought to himself, "Good tea!"
After some time, a servant led him in. It was Yu Guang Mao and the others. When they saw Pei Zi Yun drinking his tea, they paused and smiled, "So brother Pei is here to visit Master Fu as well."
As he said this, he bowed to Master Fu.
The few of them sat down. Yu Guang Mao and Elementary Scholar Yi had met Pei Zi Yun on the boat a few days ago. Now that they've met, they sat down beside Pei Zi Yun.
Old Master Fu looked at them and smiled, "Since the few Elementary Scholars have been recommended by someone, you should all stay here and prepare for the examinations."
As he said this, he took a sip of the tea that Mistress Cloud had just served.
Master Fu had a good reputation, and often helped students. If an Elementary Scholar was recommended by someone, they would be able to stay here until the examinations were over. However, they could only stay for one term.
Yu Guang Mao and Elementary Scholar Yi didn't want to bring their recommendation letters here. However, as the examinations were nearing, the prices of the inns and inns in the prefecture had increased. Even if the four of them pooled their money, they wouldn't be able to find a good inn. Staying in a bad inn was a small matter, but they were afraid that it would be a mess. This was the examinations, and they couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Hence, after searching for a while, they couldn't find an inn that they could stay in. Hence, they brought their recommendation letters to Fu Mansion.
As the few of them were chatting, the curtain on the right side of the door opened. Mistress Cloud was serving tea once again. She looked dignified and beautiful. The few Elementary Scholars who had just arrived had never seen such a beautiful lady before. They couldn't help but blush and lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.
Only Yu Guang Mao was calm, but he avoided looking at the beautiful lady. The beautiful lady used a tray and brought four cups of tea. Her eyes swept across the few newcomers, and the other two Elementary Scholars. Her gaze lingered on Yu Guang Mao and Elementary Scholar Yi, but when she looked at Elementary Scholar Yi, she felt it was a pity.
Even after the beautiful lady had left, the three Elementary Scholars didn't dare to raise their heads. Ever since Pei Zi Yun had started practicing the Hundred Beasts Illustration, his senses had improved tremendously. He could hear Elementary Scholar Yi murmuring softly, "See no evil, hear no evil, look no evil."
Hearing this, Pei Zi Yun picked up his teacup and took a sip. A thought flashed through his mind, 'This beautiful lady, I remember now. Isn't she Free Cloud Sect's Senior Aunt Yun?'
'That Luo Li just now, is the future Senior Sister Chu Xia?'
At that moment, he understood, 'All the sects have their bases in the prefecture. Senior Aunt Yun is trying to find out which of the Elementary Scholars are fated to take the examinations?'
Just as the beautiful lady opened the door and walked in, the little girl walked up to her and asked, "Aunt, now that you're done with your work, can you tell me about the people who came today?"
Hearing the little girl's curious question, she stretched out her hand and pinched the little girl's cheek, "You."
She placed the tray of tea down and pulled the little girl along with her as they walked into the inner courtyard. The first thing that caught her eye was a pond. In the middle of the pond, there was a small bridge. Beside it, there were many strange rocks.
These strange rocks were stacked on top of each other, and there were many strange flowers and plants growing on them. Hearing the sound of water splashing, they looked over and saw that it was the sound of fishes jumping and playing in the water.
After crossing the bridge, they arrived at a residence. This residence was two stories high, and there were two huge red pillars supporting the second floor. Inside the door, there were candles. The candlelight shone through the gauze, illuminating the entire courtyard. There was no need for a lantern to see clearly.
She pushed open the door and entered the room. After taking a look around, the beautiful lady said, "Little Xia 'er, in future, do not speak of such things outside. If word gets out, it will be bad for you."
After reprimanding little Xia 'er, she then started to talk about what she had seen today.
"There were many people who came today, but most of them were mediocre." The beautiful lady spoke before pausing for sometime. Seeing the curious look on little Xia 'er's face, she then continued, "Perhaps only two or three of them could pass the examinations and become High Scholars."
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